HISTORY YEAR 10: TREATY OF VERSAILLES. THE GERMANS AND THE TREATY. It contains: pain and anger, the guilty clause, unfair treaty, glossary.

1. YEAR 10 HISTORY
TREATY OF VERSAILLES
2. THE GERMANS
AND THE TREATY

2. When the Germans heard about the Treaty of Versailles, they
felt ‘pain and anger’.
They felt it was unfair.
They had not been allowed to take part in the talks – they had
just been told to sign.
At first they refused to sign the Treaty.
Some Germans wanted to start the war again.

4. The Germans were angry at Clause 231; they said they were
not to blame for the war.
The soldier sent to sign the Treaty refused to sign it – ‘To say
such a thing would be a lie,’ he said.
The Germans were angry about reparations; they said France
and Britain were trying to starve their children to death.
At first they refused to pay, and only started paying after
France and Britain invaded Germany (January 1921).

6. The Germans were angry about their tiny army.
They said they were helpless against other countries.
At first they refused to reduce the army, and the sailors sank
the fleet, rather than hand it over.
The Germans also thought the loss of territory was unfair.
Germany lost a tenth of its land.
Other nations were given self-determination – but the Treaty
forced Germans to live in other countries.
Germans were also angry that they could not unite with the
Austrian Germans.

8. Clause 231: the paragraph blaming Germany for the war.
Reparations: the money Germany had to pay for damage
done during the war.
Terms of the Treaty: the different things the Treaty said.